This invention deals with a cable operated mechanical defeater. The purpose of the device is to add an additional level of safety that requires the primary door latch or handle to close and engage before the electrical disconnect is turned on.
The inventor herein is aware of two U.S. patents that deal with defeater mechanisms. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,340, that issued Jun. 21, 1977 to Pastorel, there is disclosed a defeater for mechanical safety interlock for covers of explosion-proof electrical housing. The device consists of an explosion-proof electrical enclosure that has a body switch mounted within the body, two threaded caps cooperatively engaging manually defeatable locking bolts in the body which prevent rotation of the caps and manually operated interlocking mechanism mounted in the body to actuate a switch and prevent unlocking of the bolts in the switch-on position.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,506,986, that issued Jan. 14, 2003 to Bernier, et. al., there is disclosed an alternate door interlock defeater. The device includes a support platform having an operator handle stem operably connected to the circuit breaker, an interlock slide plate slidably positioned along the support platform and having a key-shaped slot for receiving a door interlock pin, a lever operably connected to the interlock slide plate and configured to defeat the interlock mechanism when the door interlock pin is engaged with the slot. Neither of these references disclose the novel invention set forth herein.